Ghana

Claim:  “By convention, we have been able to declare results within 72 hours after the polls. The Commission, however, broke that record in 2020 and was able to declare the results in 48 hours,” Jean Mensa, the EC Chairperson said at a press briefing on Live TV, on December 8, 2024. 

Verdict: False 

Explanation

Former Electoral Commission Chairperson, Charlotte Osei, declared the results of the 2016 general elections on December 09, 2024. 2016. This was within the 48 to 72 hours deadline the Commission gave itself to declare the results of the December 7, 2016 election. During the 2020 polls, the EC headed by Jean Mensah declared the final results of the election on December 09, 2024. There is, therefore, no record broken in 2020 since the chairperson in 2020 also declared results of the elections within 48 hours.

_{A screenshot from the TV programme}

_{A screenshot from the TV programme}

Claim: X account @CediRates NDC has communicated its intent to criminally prosecute the current Bank of Ghana governor for illegal actions and economic mismanagement. They have also pledged an overhaul of BoG and intend to reinstate the revoked licenses of some banks.

Verdict: True

Explanation

The National Communications Officer of the party, Sammy Gyamfi, in an interview on Onua TV on August 9, 2023 said that the Governor of the Central bank, Ernest Addison, and members of the Bank’s board will face prosecution for decisions which led to the bank incurring a GHC 60bn loss. 

“Ernest Addison is jail bound. He is destined for jail. There is no way Addison will not be prosecuted, there is no way,”  he declared in the interview (between minutes 0:00 – 4:40).
In the 2024 NDC Manifesto (page 23 and 24), the party said it was going to “restore the licenses of wrongfully collapsed financial institutions” as well as “restructure the Bank of Ghana to strengthen its independence and operational efficiency to deliver its price and financial stability mandate.”

Claim: A photo of Kennedy Agyapong clad in NDC paraphernalia and celebrating with NDC supporters is circulating on social media, suggesting that he has switched allegiance after the 2024 elections.

Verdict: False

Explanation

_{The viral photo}

Verification by the Ghana Fact-Checking Coalition confirms that Kennedy Agyapong has not switched sides. The photo dates back to 2016. According to a GhanaWeb report from that year, the NPP frontrunner attended an NPP event at the same location as Sam George’s campaign launch and took the photo as a gesture of unity ahead of the 2016 elections.

The Media Foundation for West Africa (MFWA), the Centre for Journalism, Innovation and Development and the Ghana Journalists Association (GJA) have condemned the attack on Yahaya Masahudu, a journalist in Tamale, Northern Region of Ghana, and urged the police to investigate the case and ensure justice.

Masahudu is a member of the Ghana Fact-Checking Coalition’s Media Situation Room, established by the Fact-Check Ghana, Dubawa Ghana and Ghana Fact to provide timely and accurate reports on Ghana’s December 7, 2024 elections and combat election-related misinformation. As part of his reporting duty, the journalist went to cover a looting incident at the Tamale Metropolitan Assembly warehouse and the National Disaster Management Organisation (NADMO) office within the premises of the Public Works Department on December 8.

According to the journalist, who sent a video report on the assault to the Fact-checking team, some young men manhandled him and seized his mobile phone, which he was using to record the looting. He was later rescued by some onlookers who whisked him away from the area.

Other media reports confirmed that some ruffians infiltrated the ranks of the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) supporters who were celebrating their party’s apparent victory a day after the December 7 elections, to loot public property. 

“Yahaya Masahudu was working to bring factual information about the elections to the public and combating false information. He was providing a critical public service and needed to be supported and protected. This attack is therefore shameful and totally unacceptable. The police in Tamale must pursue and bring to book the perpetrators,” Muheeb Saeed, Programme Manager for Freedom of Expression, said. 

Northern Regional Chairperson of the Ghana Journalists Association also deplored the attack on the journalist.

“Such a thing should not be happening in this day and age, especially when the election went on peacefully without any disturbance,” Mr. Abdul-Majeed Yakubu, Regional Chair of the Ghana Journalists’ Association (GJA), stated in an interview.

“I’m still working around the clock to ensure that the phone is retrieved. But let me be frank and sincere with you, we condemn that act in no uncertain terms,” the Chairperson of GJA in the Northern Region further said.

Akintunde Babatunde, Director of Programmes at the Centre for Journalism Innovation and Development(CJID), said,

“Journalists are important stakeholders in the quest to advance democracy; the attack on Yahaya is condemnable and should be investigated. We call on government and security agencies in Ghana to investigate this attack and bring attackers to book. Journalism is not a crime, and when journalists do their job to provide fact-based reporting for people, they should be free to do so without being attacked or subjected to harassment.”

The MFWA, CJID, and the GJA have jointly called on the police to take action to bring the perpetrators to justice.

Claim: Police look on helplessly as hundreds of looters steal from the Tamale Metro Assembly warehouse according to social media videos.

Verdict: TRUE

Explanation

The Ghana Fact-Checking Coalition can confirm there is ongoing looting of a variety of items at the Tamale Metro Assembly warehouse. These include motorbikes, tricycles, sacks of rice, fertilizers, cereals, trucks, and chairs. The State-owned Ghana Television has carried live footage of the unfolding development when their correspondent, Murtala Kpambe reported from the scene of the incident. Other footages from the scene are being circulated on social media here and here.

The incident happened moments after Vice President Mahamudu Bawumia conceded the 2024 elections to John Dramani Mahama. Hundreds of people in Tamale, the capital of the Northern Region, thronged the streets in jubilation, which soon morphed into the looting of the Tamale Metro Assembly warehouse. The Ghana Police Service arrived promptly at the scene but faced resistance from the looters, with the hundreds of marauders pelting them with stones. The military has since been invited to restore law and order.

Claim: An X user shared a video claiming that two men who confronted soldiers during the voting exercise in Obuasi East are now receiving treatment in a hospital. (Source: @RoGoat7 (X) (Archived here).

Verdict: True.

Explanation: We compared the video of the two men in a hospital with the video of the scuffle and found them to be the same people.  Although their shirts were now off, the men were still wearing the same trousers spotted in the initial video. Similarly, an unidentified man who appeared in the scuffle video was also seen with them at the hospital. The X user’s claim is, therefore, true.

Claim: KT Hammond has lost his seat. (Source: Facebook, Twitter)

Verdict: False 

Explanation

Reports that the Member of Parliament for Adansi Asokwa Constituency, K. T Hammond, has lost his seat are not confirmed yet. The Ghana Fact-checking Coalition gathers that the Electoral Commission is still collating results from the various polling stations and has yet to declare a winner. An EC officer in the Asokwa Constituency confirmed to the Coalition that the collation of votes is ongoing and no winner has been declared yet. 

Claim: Some Ghanaians mass up at NPP headquarters as voting continues, according to GhanaWeb (archived here)

Verdict: False

Explanation

The Ghana Fact-Checking Coalition contacted WANEP observers stationed in Accra and they stated that no crowds were gathered at the New Patriotic Party (NPP) headquarters in Accra during the voting period.

The claim made by GhanaWeb on YouTube lacks evidence, as verified by on-ground observers who confirmed that the area remained calm and free of such activity.

Claim: X user congratulates Valentino Nii Noi Nortey, claiming the incumbent Zanetor Rawlings is ‘gone.’ 

Verdict: False

Explanation

The Electoral Commission of Ghana has made no official declaration concerning the just-ended December elections. However, provisional results announced at Klottey Korle Constituency show the daughter of Ghana’s late former President Jerry John Rawlings in the lead. She has garnered 39,700 votes, while Valentino Nii Noi Nortey of the New Patriotic Party has received 23,558 votes.Also, major news outlets like graphic online and TV3 have reported Zanetor Rawlings as lead in the Klottey Korley Constituency parliamentary elections.

Border closed in Aflao, military deployed as security official from presidency fires multiple warning shots. Source: Twitter/Facebook 

Explanation

The border closure in Aflao in the Ketu South Constituency and the military presence have increased tension in the area, with some Togolese reportedly arrested for entering the country illegally.  Ghana Fact-Checking Coalition has dug into the issue and found the following :

1.       Suspicious vehicle sighting:
In the afternoon of December 6, 2024, residents of Aflao noticed a white pickup truck with multiple antennae near the Aflao Police Station. The vehicle, bearing a visible registration number GE1029-24, raised suspicions of an intent to disrupt internet connections.

2.       Residents confront occupants:
Residents approached the vehicle’s occupants to inquire about their purpose in the area. Allegedly, the occupants ignored their questions, prompting further concerns.

3.       NDC members Intervene:
The commotion drew the attention of two National Democratic Congress (NDC) members. They informed Sylvia Awuye, a journalist with Holy FM, that one of the occupants, who was armed, had allegedly threatened to shoot them.

4.       Police involvement:
As tensions escalated, a police officer arrived at the scene and escorted the vehicle’s occupants to the Aflao Police Station. During the process, one occupant dropped an ID card, revealing his identity as Joseph Sekyere, a security officer at the Presidency.

5.       Youth protest:
A group of irate youth gathered at the scene, burning tyres and also vandalising part of the vehicle. They demanded the occupants be brought out for questioning. The police directed the vehicle to the station for safety.

6.       Warning shots fired:
According to our sources, Joseph Sekyere allegedly fired multiple warning shots while being escorted, further heightening tensions.

7.       Military presence:
The incident drew military intervention, with personnel remaining in the area until around 2:30 a.m.

8.       Arrest of alleged Togolese nationals:
Earlier in the day, 29 Togolese nationals were reportedly apprehended at the Aflao Low-Cost Basic School. However, the Aflao Sector Commander of the Ghana Immigration Service, Frederick Duodu, indicated that 36  alleged Togolese were arrested and screened with 25 confirmed to be Togolese.

9.       Claims of NDC’s report and immigration action:
NDC executives allegedly alerted the police and immigration authorities about the presence of the Togolese. The individuals were subsequently taken to the immigration office near the border. On a video circulating on X, residents are heard saying the group were in the country to vote. Our sources confirmed the claim. 

10.   Accounts from the alleged Togolese:
The detained individuals claimed to be from Baguida, a suburb of Lomé, Togo. They told our source they were in contact with the school’s (Aflao Low-Cost Basic) headmaster. The headmaster had reportedly informed them that his superior would provide further instructions on what to do and they would be paid CFA 25,000.

11.   NPP Candidate’s statement:
After casting his ballot, the NPP candidate for Ketu South, Samuel Wisdom Doe Haligah, has promised to address the matter.

 12.   Calm returns

Our sources say calm has returned to the area. 

13. The Ghana Immigration Service has since repatriated the 25 Togolese.